Lady Zhi took a sip of her tea, her face not looking particularly well: “So, how did she get involved with the Longya Gang?”
Wan Fengzhen put on a hesitant look: “I heard it started when she got involved with them during the courtesan election, the reason… it’s a bit hard for me to say.”
Lady Zhi retorted: “There’s no need for you to hold anything back from me, just tell me what you know.”
Wan Fengzhen deliberately looked around, as if to create a sense of mystery, and after confirming no one was paying attention to them, she said: “That Nan Feng once won the courtesan election, as you know, those who are chosen as courtesans usually serve the power and the rich. But no sooner had Nan Feng been elected than she was removed from the position, then… in less than an hour, she appeared in the tea house, drinking tea with the gang leader of the Longya Gang for the entire afternoon. Of course, whether she was really just having tea or doing something else there, who can say?”
Lady Zhi asked in astonishment: “She ran for the courtesan election? I thought only women from brothels could participate in such petitions?”
“Exactly, nobody knows how she got to participate. She may have been one of them to start with… You know, many in our rouge line had previously engaged in that sort of work and only opened a shop with the money they earned after they grew old and lost their appeal. Isn’t the shopkeeper of Baoli Hall next to my Xiangying Square one of the courtesans? She often takes the lead in charity work, presenting herself as some sort of fairy, while everyone knows the truth, we just choose not to expose her.”
Lady Zhi gripped her cup tightly, her eyes suddenly turned cold, almost smashing the cup.
A triumphant smile blossomed in Wan Fengzhen’s heart. Lady Zhi’s reaction was because her husband had a penchant for indulging in these women at the flower-and-moon establishments. Before, Lady Zhi had turned a blind eye and ignored it, but two years ago, her husband became infatuated with a top-tier courtesan, who was known to only sell her artistry, not her body. He eventually bought her freedom, and they began living together in a separate mansion.
Lady Zhi was furious at that time, but she was always cunning. She made no outcry but quietly went to that mansion during her husband’s absence, took the courtesan back, stating that she would help her husband take the courtesan as a bride, giving her a legal status and she could then, rightfully bear children for the Zhi family.
Her husband knew there must be some ulterior motive behind Lady Zhi’s generous act, but the deed was done and even the Old Lady Zhi had met the courtesan, he had no choice but to go along with it.
Even though Lady Zhi’s husband constantly protected the courtesan, he could not match Lady Zhi’s meticulous calculations. Initially pregnant for three months, the courtesan suffered a sudden miscarriage, then several months later, she mysteriously contracted a cold that couldn’t be cured, and passed away after a few months of illness.
Her husband was sure that Lady Zhi had killed the courtesan, but without any evidence, in the end, he stopped ing home altogether, spending every day and night at the brothels and pleasure houses, without ever returning home.
Lady Zhi despised the people from these pleasure establishments with all her heart.
So, when Lady Zhi heard that Nan Feng came from such an establishment as well, her hatred for her deepened.
The previous time when she secretly ordered people to intercept Nan Feng’s goods was just for assisting Wan Fengzhen. But this time, she had a personal grudge against Nan Feng. Coupled with Nan Feng’s recent defiance at the restaurant entrance, she felt the need to teach Nan Feng a lesson.
The food was served, and Lady Zhi, taking small bites of her meal, said coldly to Wan Fengzhen: “There are plenty of ways to kick that Nan bitch out of the provincial city, it all depends on how much you despise her.”
…
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